Nov. 8, 2005

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Joah Tucker scored 12 points to lead three players in double figures as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee wrapped up the exhibition season with a 63-47 win over UW-Platteville Tuesday night at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

The Panthers scored 19 of the first 24 points of the second half to take control of the game and overcome a gutsy effort by the Pioneers.

Adrian Tigert added 11 points and Jason McCoy 10 for UWM, which limited UWP to just 37.3 percent shooting from the field in holding its second-straight opponent under 50 points.

UW-Platteville, the defending WIAC champions and the 20th-ranked team in the D3hoops.com preseason Top 25 poll, was led by 14 points apiece from Jeff Skemp and Charlie Lohoff.

The Pioneers, the alma mater of UWM head coach Rob Jeter, gave the Panthers a test heading into the regular season opener next Tuesday at Memphis.

"It just reinforces a lot of things that I try to talk to our guys about," Jeter said. "I am proud of our guys. Our guys faced a challenge. We didn't play our best game, but you have to give Platteville a lot of credit. They played hard, and they made us do some things we're not quite comfortable with yet. But it is just the second game and we will get better."

UWM took the lead for good at 20-18 on a three-pointer by Chris Hill with 5:59 remaining and eventually led by as many as eight points before taking a six-point lead into the locker room. The Panthers then took control of the game to start the second half, building a 49-29 lead with 11:57 left on a layin by Avery Smith. UWM played 14 players in the contest, with nine of them breaking into the scoring column.

In the end, the Panthers received a challenge to get them ready for the regular season and the Pioneers showed what many people in the state already know - Division III basketball in Wisconsin is some of the best in the country.

"It is not surprising to me," Jeter said. "There's a lot of pride in wearing that uniform, and I know because I wore one. There are a lot of victories and a lot of tradition there. It didn't surprise me at all how well those guys played. I was one of those guys.

"I wasn't a Division I athlete, but I had to do the little things and take advantage of opportunities, and that's what they did. They took advantage of some second shots, they outrebounded us by 10, and that's just hard work. It's what you expect from teams that are well-coached and have that pride. That's why they are on our schedule. I am proud of the guys in that locker room just like I'm proud of our guys."

The Pioneers were able to hang in the contest in part because of their perimeter defense. They limited UWM to just 2-of-17 shooting from three-point range, though UWM did hold a 38-24 edge on points in the paint. The Panthers also forced 20 Platteville turnovers, though the Pioneers did a decent job of handling UWM's full-court press.

"We have several guys in our program that played Wisconsin last year in front of 17,000 at the Kohl Center, so I think that allowed us to be ready for tonight, moreso than the typical Division III program," UWP head coach Paul Combs said. "There aren't too many Division III teams that get to play an Elite Eight team one year and a Sweet 16 team the next, so we were ready."

UWM's game with Memphis next Tuesday tips off at 7 p.m. The game can be seen live in Milwaukee on WMLW.